Eye of the Tiger
by MagicmanSmokegirl
Summary: Maximillion Pegasus gone from Yu-Gi-Oh? Not while I'm in town. This here is my take on his life following Duellist Kingdom. No bashing and all readers are welcome. Enjoy!


The Eye of the Tiger  
  
Disclaimer: I own diddly, the least of which are Yu-Gi-Oh, and 'Eye of the Tiger' in its original and Weird Al forms.  
  
Magicman: Hey all you Yu-Gi-Oh fans out there! I am known as Magicman and I welcome you to my world. Please meet my favourite Yu-Gi-Oh characters that will be keeping me company.  
  
Joey: Heya!  
  
Tea: Hi! It's nice to meet you.  
  
Pegasus: Delighted!  
  
Magicman: Something wonderful has just happened. I can use Microsoft Word again! And in celebration of this wonderous event I am releasing my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic out earlier than I had planned! Rejoice!  
  
Joey: He's starting to spread like a virus.  
  
Pegasus: An airbourne virus.  
  
Tea: Oh stop it you two! We don't have to worry. We're his favourites.  
  
Pegasus: Point taken.  
  
Magicman: Speaking of which, the following fanfiction is a songfic, containing certain changes on words from the original. As for the plot, this story is my take on what happens to Pegasus after Duellist Kingdom.  
  
Tea: I've been wondering that myself.  
  
Pegasus: Truth be told, so have I.  
  
Joey: Then it's time to read!  
  
Magicman&Tea&Pegasus: -_-'  
  
Magicman: This story is dedicated to fOX-SPIRIT AKA Y.V, who first insisted that I work on this. Thank you Foxy!  
  
***  
  
(Music starts to play as a camera zooms in on a specific window on a specific island.)  
  
Pegasus sat on a chair in front of his window, gazing gloomily out into the wide-open world. For the one hundred and twenty eighth time his hand involuntarily reached up and rubbed his left eye. The eyelid closed automatically, protecting the exposed organ. The flesh and blood organ.  
  
He knew that he should count his blessings. He knew that he was lucky to have his eye back at all. But seeing the collapse of all your hopes and dreams tended shroud the bright side.  
  
Pegasus had woken up two weeks after Duellist Kingdom, knowing immediately that something was wrong. It took only seconds for him to realize exactly what it was. From that moment on he was a changed man.  
  
He used to be a young man, full of spirit and life with his passions and ambitions. Now though he was different. Croquet and Kemo both agreed that their boss looked as though he had aged ten years. He had lost interest in everything, preferring to spend his days listlessly. His ambitions had evaporated and he cared about nothing. He wasn't an old man yet time would take care of that in a few years.  
  
Thus was a legend ended.  
  
***  
  
Old and weak. What a disgrace.  
  
Guess the champ got too lazy.  
  
***  
  
Pegasus shifted his gaze over to a full-length mirror. Since he had lost his chance to win back Cecilia he had ceased to care about his looks. And since Cecilia was no longer here to scold him out of his lethargy he had let himself go. As a result his hair was still mussed from bed, he was losing weight, and his suit was unbuttoned and wrinkled. The eyes glared back, seeming to say 'This is your own fault, you know!' Pegasus merely lifted his chin in disdain. As if he cared what a stupid reflection thought of him!  
  
He was tempted to smash his mirror. Not really caring for anymore bad luck, he reached out and grasped his glass of fruit juice. He had been tempted to take to wine before, but he refused to sink that low. Instead of covering his problems with a layer of booze he faced them and confronted reality's harsh truth.  
  
He felt surprisingly little bitterness toward those who had done this to him. What purpose would it serve? He had gambled and he had lost, plain and simple. There was no use railing at the past anymore. He had now lost his love for good, as well as a good part of his life. All he could do now was...  
  
Nothing.  
  
***  
  
Ain't gonna try now, he's just taking up space.  
  
Sold his suit. Threw his dueling glove away  
  
***  
  
Yawning, Pegasus glanced over at the TV. The setting sun was spectacular as always but had had seen it oh so many times. Maybe something good was on. He picked up the remote control from his side table and started flicking through channels. The Duel Monsters sport channel was featuring this year's regional championship tournament. Slightly interested, Pegasus stopped channel surfing to watch.  
  
In five minutes, it became the worst duel that Pegasus had ever been sorry to witness. This wasn't a duel. This was a wrestling match! Both players were relying on sheer strength of monsters with basically no strategy whatsoever. It was an embarrassment to the game he had worked so hard to produce.  
  
And the idiotic mistakes!  
  
Duellist #1 had a Tri-horn Dragon and a recently flipped Morphing Jar on the field with 1000 life points. His opponent placed a monster in defence mode and had 600 life points. The first duellist attacked with his dragon, revealing the destroyed monster to be a Lajinn.  
  
'If he had just attacked with Lajinn' Pegasus thought furiously, 'He could have destroyed Morphing Jar and won the game. And neither of them seems to know it! Morphing Jar is STILL in attack mode! What happened to all the good duellists? Underwood and Raptor? Tsunami and Kaiba-boy? Yugi and his buddy Joey? Are they ALL at that shameless self-promotion of Kaiba's? Battle City!' Pegasus snorted in disgust. 'He should know that if you change the rules then you change the game! Old school players and their strategies are lost in the confusion. I would hate to have one of these duelling monkeys the regional champion!'  
  
Pegasus leaned back in his chair and sighed. 'If only...'  
  
Pegasus frowned at that almost thought. He spoke slowly, voicing it aloud. "If only I could show them how it's really done."  
  
The thought was tempting. But he had kept aloof since the inter- continental championships. Could he really put himself on display to the world since that debacle where he lost his Millennium Item? The spark that had suddenly rekindled in his soul began to waver.  
  
The TV blared into his thoughts. "And Carmen De'Marco is our new regional champion ladies and gentlemen! Lets give him a hand!"  
  
"CROQUET!"  
  
The security man found his boss brushing his hair with a determined expression on his face. "Is there a problem sir?"  
  
"Yes there bloody well does happen to be a problem!" Pegasus tried to straighten his wrinkled suit. "It seems that those in charge of my laundry have been neglecting to fold! Cancel their next pay check and yell at them personally!" He eyed himself critically. It would have to do. "But for now, come with me."  
  
Pegasus stormed from his room, Croquet running to catch up. When they reached his office, the millionaire plopped himself down into a wheeled chair and pushed off against the wall. He sailed across the room and bumped into a filing cabinet and began rustling through the papers. "Get my real estate agent on the phone Croquet. And make it snappy. We only have the rest of our lives!"  
  
"Uh, yes sir." As Croquet left, Pegasus let out an 'Aha!' of triumph and pulled out the folder for Domino town. He flipped through to the 'For Sale' listing and smiled. He'd show people how to really play Duel Monsters, even if he had to go to the Duel Monsters capital of Japan to do it!  
  
***  
  
But he's no bum. He works down the street.  
  
He bought the neighbourhood card shop.  
  
***  
  
Pegasus grumbled unpleasant things as he dragged his luggage down the street. "At least I'm getting exercise" was the least of his phrases.  
  
But finally he arrived at his destination. He looked up in awe at what he saw and reminded himself to give Croquet a bonus. He really outdid himself this!  
  
The ancient and empty restaurant had been transformed into a state of the art card shop, carrying every conceivable form of Duel Monsters paraphernalia. In addition to every card ever created (even his beloved Toon World) he also carried decks he had designed himself, starters, boosters, and a whole new series of boosters he'd named Legacy of Darkness. The sign above the door read 'Pegasus Eyrie'. The look nearly brought tears to his eyes.  
  
As Pegasus fumbled with his luggage and the lock, a group of teenagers passed by. One of them, with a Trowa Barton haircut, stopped to watch. When Pegasus dropped a bag with a shattering-glass-sound (he hoped it wasn't his wine glasses), he stepped forward and picked it up for him. When Pegasus finally got the lock opened, he turned to thank his young friend.  
  
The kid waved a hand slightly. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Anyone would've done it."  
  
"You have my thanks just the same" Pegasus persisted. "What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Simon. Simon McAllister."  
  
"And my name is Pegasus. Maximillian Pegasus."  
  
Simon's eyes nearly bugged out. His voice was normal though. "I don't mind saying, sir, that I'm a little overwhelmed."  
  
Pegasus smiled. "Perfectly understandable Simon. Oh, and don't bother with the sir. It's just Max."  
  
"I see". Simon spoke slowly, as though still disbelieving. "So, uh, Max is this place yours?"  
  
"Yes indeed! The Pegasus' Eyrie is open for business this Wednesday and is ready to sell cards, deck, and duellists!"  
  
"Duellists? What do you mean duellists?"  
  
Pegasus winked at Simon. "Come on Wednesday and find out."  
  
***  
  
Back on his feet, now he's training new meat.  
  
Come inside, maybe you'll hear him say  
  
***  
  
Opening night was an unqualified success. Despite precautions, news that Maximillian Pegasus had opened a new card shop had leaked out. His presence attracted curiosity, honest enthusiasts of the game and people just wanting to get a glimpse of him. Also the occasional shop owner stopped by to give this young upstart a piece of their mind.  
  
Pegasus was in the middle of a barely civil conversation with Solomon Mutoh ("I honestly don't give a damn about your backwater flea market! I have my own reasons for setting up shop and none of them involve you!") when Simon and a small group of his friends stepped through the rotating door. He waved them toward a door with an old duelling poster before going back to Mr. Mutoh. By the time the older man had stormed off, the young people were in the room.  
  
Leaving Croquet to handle the counter and Kemo to hook up a small TV so he could play his vast collection of duels, Pegasus strolled into the back room, whistling as he went.  
  
The room was quite large, containing a small duelling arena and numerous card tables spread out with matching chairs. The teenagers were scattered about, gawking when Pegasus came in. Simon walked over to the millionaire and smiled.  
  
"Hi Max. Things are going well?"  
  
"Indeed they are, my dear boy. Indeed they are."  
  
One of Simon's friends strolled over. "Hey Pegasus!" he said in a tone of voice that defied the definition 'arrogant'. "Simon told us you had something to say. So spill it. Why am I here?"  
  
Simon seemed on the verge of strangling his companion. "Nicky! Show some respect man!"  
  
"Now now, no harm done" Pegasus soothed. "And the young man has a point. I do have something to say."  
  
He glanced around. The other teens had been drawn to the brief conversation. Slightly self-conscious, Pegasus spoke.  
  
"This room is a training center that will be available only to duellists. And by 'duellists', I mean people who care about the game itself, not about what they can get from it. I will be blunt. Playing Duel Monsters is an art. Not everyone can play it with any skill. And so, I am interested in finding people who possess that skill or are interested in acquiring it." He looked all the teenagers in the eye. "Does anyone in this room think that they have the skill?"  
  
Perhaps it was the challenge in the words or perhaps some minds were inspired. Or maybe they were just looking for a place to hang out. At any rate, all of the teenagers present signed up for Pegasus' duelling program, right then and there.  
  
***  
  
It's the Eye of the Tiger  
  
It's the thrill of the fight  
  
Rising up to the challenge of your rival  
  
And the last Duellist standing  
  
Stalks his prey in the night  
  
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger  
  
***  
  
Pegasus' Eyrie thrived, despite the ill will of Solomon Mutoh. There were just too many customers for his or Devlin's game stores to accommodate at once. Of course it didn't hurt that Pegasus had every card in existence (even his beloved Toon World) in the display case or in the back rooms. Starter decks sold wildly as the local kids took up the new interest with a passion, and boosters were going at alarming speeds.  
  
To make matters interesting, Pegasus had taken to designing and selling championship decks that real champions had used to win tournaments. This was planned to circle ingenuity through prospective trainers. By giving them a glimpse of what the serious duellists were likely to face, Pegasus was forcing them to think up newer and wilder strategies to counteract these decks.  
  
Pegasus' cadre of duelling teenagers had grown in number. All of them were at least interested and several were seriously into the game. But Simon took it to a new level. He got a job as Pegasus' assistant (which let Croquet go back to being security chief) and worked his tail off day in and day out. Then on pay day he would spend his newly made money on cards for his newly made deck. Locally, he was becoming a fierce competitor, and Pegasus could smell greatness in the making.  
  
***  
  
Never cheats now when he duels  
  
He learned it's good to stay honest  
  
***  
  
Sudden yelling from the duelling arena drew Pegasus' attention from arranging mangas. He rushed to the door, inserted his key card, and threw it open to the sight of Simon and Nicky rolling on the ground, doing their best to pummel the other. Other duellists scattered as they knocked over chairs.  
  
Pegasus surged to the fighters and caught them up by their ears, wresting them apart. They ceased their combat and withered under his furious glare. Simon's hair was so mussed that both his eyes were visible and Nicky was growling through a split and bloody lip.  
  
"What in the world is going on here?!"  
  
Simon pointed accusingly at Nicky. "This...card shark was cheating at Duel Monsters!" For Simon, the insult was a terrible one. Apparently it wasn't unjustified either, for the other duellists spoke up in support of him.  
  
Pegasus turned to a sullen Nicky and his gaze drifted down to his arm. The sleeve had rolled back in the fight, revealing a spring-loaded card launching system, not unlike the one that Bandit Keith used.  
  
Feeling Pegasus' eyes turn on him again, Nicky defended himself. "The purpose is to win the game, isn't it? It doesn't matter how. Besides, it's just a game."  
  
Pegasus didn't say anything. He did feel a profound sadness as he snatched up Nicky's pass card to the arena and tore the laminated paper in half. Among the shocked eyes of the assembled duellists, he pronounced his verdict. "Leave my store now and never come back."  
  
Pegasus then returned to his counter and continued to shuffle mangas.  
  
***  
  
Teaches his students a healthy respect for rules  
  
Better to lose but to still try your best  
  
***  
  
It was Simon who brought the news to Pegasus' attention.  
  
The young man came barrelling into the backrooms, brandishing a newspaper. He nearly tripped on a box of Metal Raiders boosters, jumped desperately over suitcase, and ran into the far wall. Nothing phased, he got right back up and continued yelling.  
  
"It's back! It's coming back!"  
  
Pegasus grabbed the newspaper and gave the youth time to contain himself. He took one look at the headline and nearly choked.  
  
'Duel Monsters world championship sets off in one month'.  
  
The article continued to say that Duke Devlin and Kaiba-boy were both financing this new world championship. (Pegasus made a note to join in.) Kaiba-boy was self-advertising again, and in fact had already stated that he would win it all. But Devlin-boy claimed that he wanted to see Duel Monsters restored to its former glory. Pegasus smiled. That boy was so considerate.  
  
The millionaire turned to Simon, who was still raving. He smiled slightly. "Thinking of entering, are you?" he baited.  
  
"Hell yeah!" Simon shouted out. Then he smiled. "I wanted to thank you Max. For everything."  
  
"Oh don't thank me dear boy. It was a pleasure, and you made it so. There comes a time in every teacher's life when he has to step back and let his young student go it alone. This is that time, and you are ready for it." Pegasus smirked slightly. "I will say this though. There are some tough duellists who will be gunning for you when they learn that I sponsored you."  
  
Simon smirked back. "I look forward to it!"  
  
***  
  
It's the Eye of the Tiger  
  
It's the thrill of the fight  
  
Rising up to the challenge of your rival  
  
And the last Duellist standing  
  
Stalks his prey in the night  
  
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger  
  
***  
  
The World Championships were embraced with a massive enthusiasm. It seemed that people everywhere were delighted to see Duel Monsters back on the world stage. Everybody who was anybody in the game either appeared or tried to sneak in through the restroom windows. In Pegasus' case, he paid for a ringside seat.  
  
The next three days were a torrent of passion and talent that had not been seen since the inter-continental championships years ago. Duellists pulled out all the stops and quite a few vendettas were brought to the arena. Pegasus laughed his head off when Kaiba-boy lost to Joey Wheeler. Pegasus' own students did quite well, one of them even making it to the semi-finals to be eliminated by Yugi Mutoh. But it was Simon who took the tournament by storm. In his very first match, he destroyed Bandit Keith completely, and since then took on some of the top duellists around. Judging by the slightly crazed smile on his face that screamed 'I can't believe I'm, here!' he was enjoying himself as much as Pegasus.  
  
The final match was destined to go down as the best duel ever fought. Simon McAllister faced off with Yugi Mutoh in what was clearly a contest of equals. They destroyed nearly every card in each other's deck and the match went on for an hour, as they escaped defeat time and again. But in the end, Mark's Cannon Soldier caused more damage than Yugi's Dark Magician. With a rush of beeps, Yugi's life point counter dropped to zero.  
  
The world had a new champion.  
  
***  
  
So today his duellists come first  
  
Still he dreams of his past days of glory  
  
***  
  
Pegasus sat alone in his chair behind his counter. A glass of fruit juice in his hand, he smiled as he replayed every step of that duel in his mind. It was wonderful to see Simon restore the glory of Duel Monsters. It reminded him of the time when he'd been the greatest duellist to walk the Earth. His reign as king couldn't have passed to anyone more worthy. But even so, he would have to duel the new champ some time and see what Yugi had to go through!  
  
Pegasus was just chuckling at that thought when the bell on his store's entrance rang softly and Simon came in.  
  
"Hi Max!"  
  
"Why hello there champ." Pegasus turned to face his young protégée. Simon couldn't seem to stop smiling and he proudly bore his medal on his chest. "What brings you here? I thought you'd still be celebrating."  
  
Simon moved aside as someone else stepped into the store. Pegasus' heart stopped beating as he got a look at her. From a distance, he heard Simon speak. "I wanted you to meet my mother."  
  
Simon's mother's smile seemed to drive away some nearby shadows. "Hello Mr. Pegasus. I've heard so much about you! My name is Alice."  
  
Pegasus shook her hand numbly, unable to look away. She cocked her head, slightly puzzled. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Oh no Miss" he heard himself say. "I was just momentarily stunned by your heavenly features. I am alright now." Hearing the words, he clapped a hand over his mouth. 'Oh dear.'  
  
Alice's eyes widened in shock. Then the slightest of blushes dusted across her cheeks. "Why thank you sir. May I say that you are quite handsome yourself?"  
  
They were married in a year.  
  
***  
  
His new family helps him overcome his curse  
  
All the while you can still hear him say  
  
***  
  
Pegasus lay awake in his bed, thinking. It was funny how one's life could change. First he had been a quiet and lonely child. When he met Cecelia, the sun had dawned for him. She had died and he was cast into a gloom, which broke when his Millennium Eye gave him a chance to get her back. When he lost the Eye he had lost all hope of happiness. And now...  
  
Alice stirred at his side. Pegasus gently stroked her back and she subsided with a happy sigh. He smiled at that sigh.  
  
During his trip from rock bottom to Cloud nine, he had learned a valuable lesson. He couldn't forget his past. Nor would he want to. There was room in his heart for his memories and his new accomplishments. He had regained his own dignity, restored influence to Duel Monsters, and learned to love again. He had no regrets.  
  
***  
  
It's the Eye of the Tiger  
  
It's the thrill of the fight  
  
Rising up to the challenge of your rival  
  
And the last Duellist standing  
  
Stalks his prey in the night  
  
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger  
  
***  
  
"Maxi" Alice mumbled sleepily. "Come to bed."  
  
"Yes dearest" Pegasus whispered in her ear. He kissed her cheek and slipped beneath the covers with a smile.  
  
*** The End ***  
  
Joey&Tea: Woohoo! *Clapping*  
  
Pegasus: I'm so...touched.  
  
Magicman: Well this is my first venture into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh, and I must say that I'm rather proud of it. I'm trying to start new themes so expect interesting ideas from me mah homies! But for now, I must go and finish the rest of my work. Bye bye! 


End file.
